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Looking forany autographNate Johnston
One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Nate Johnston: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.
Out of the University of Tampa, where he played from 1984 to 1988, the 6-foot-8 forward earned a footnote in expansion history: the Miami Heat made him one of their first-ever draft picks, taking him 59th overall in 1988 ahead of their inaugural season.
His NBA window was brief — appearances with both the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers during the 1989-90 season — but reaching the league at all from a small Florida program was its own achievement.
HOW HE CAME & WENTMiami's third-round pick in 1988 and cut in that camp, he made his NBA debut for the Jazz early in 1989-90. He played six games for Utah before being waived that December, then 15 for Portland — 21 games that were his entire NBA career.
- Utah Jazz tenure
- 1989–90
- Position
- Forward
- Born
- 1966, Birmingham, Alabama
- Height
- 6′8″ (203 cm)
- Weight
- 209 lb (95 kg)
- College
- Tampa
- Drafted
- 1988, 3rd round (No. 59), Miami
- Why this player is hard to find
- Six games for Utah before a long career overseas. Only unsigned CBA cards are known.
A card. A photo. A program. A page from an old autograph book. Anything he put his name on.
You do not need to know what it is. Take a photo with your phone and send it to me. I will tell you what you have, for free, whether or not anything comes of it. I pay the postage both ways. I answer every message myself, usually the same day.
With the Jazz
NATE JOHNSTON · 1989–90 · PER GAME| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | UTA | 6 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | .364 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 1 SEASON | 6 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | .364 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
Did you know
NATE JOHNSTON · 8 NOTES- Played most of his professional career outside the United States.
- Was on the Portland Trail Blazers' 1990 NBA Finals roster, playing three playoff games.
- Still holds the University of Tampa's all-time rebounding records and entered its Hall of Fame in 2002.
- Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he played his high school ball at Glades Central in Belle Glade, Florida.
- He won a Venezuelan league title in 2001 and both the Portuguese league and Supercup in 2000.
- His playing career ran sixteen years and touched at least seven countries before he stopped in 2004.
- In six Jazz games he went 1-for-1 from three-point range and never missed a free throw.
- At Tampa he grew from 9.3 points as a freshman to 19.7 points and 2.8 blocks as a senior All-American.